Sand Question

I have "ocean sand" that I actually used for my 55g Freshwater that I am now converting into a saltwater tank. Can I reuse this sand as a base sand for the LS to go ontop of in my Refug and Display so I dont have to buy so much LS?
I am fairly certain it is not silicate based because it says its natural ocean sand, but will be double checking when I get home from the office because I am not sure what their definition of natural ocean sand is.

 

i had sand i used for my cichlids that i got from the beach a long long time ago...i cleaned it to the point of insanity...it was fine in my first tank, but i didnt keep anything challenging, only softies...

you might be able to save yourself time and trouble but just getting new sand...if your willing to clean it, and make sure its not silicate based like you mentioned, i would go ahead and atleast try it. Almost all sands that are martketed from the freshwater trade can be used in saltwater, and vice versa, the silicate aspect is the issue tho.

u could also buy cheap playsand from home depo if u can make sure its not silicate based...i also used this in a tank once...i forget the specific company to look for...but im almost sure its not on the shelf anymore...still worth asking around though.

 

to clean it would you say...boil it?

 

Rinse it over and over again. I've used a pillow case with sand on it and ran a hose over it. It's usually not worth the time or risk of something not working out with it. By the way live sand is really not needed. Any sand you put in will be seeded by the rock and become live.

 

Did you ever use any medication in your freshwater tank? Anything that might have somehow bound to the sand?

"Ocean Sand" may just be a marketing term, I would be sure it's safe, preferably aragonite.

Once you are sure it's suitable for a saltwater tank if you really want to save a few dollars (sand is relatively cheap compared to the rest of the hobby! ) I would probably throw it in a bucket with some bleach for a few hours and stir it up really good, then I would rinse it well with tap water until the water in the bucket is clear, then I would spread the sand out and let it air dry for a few days or until it's basically bone dry.

 

hmmm...alright. I am going to look at the sand's content and then go from there. This all may be moot if its silicate based. Another matter is the reason why I am converting the 55 to a salt is that my freshwater got Ich so bad that it wiped out 20 Tetras, 2 plecos, 1 Chinese Algae eater, 2 dwarf Gouramis, and my faith in one of the LFS near me. Not to mention my sanity. So the sand has been medicated, I am just going to buckle down and buy new sand...its not worth the risk of hosing up everything that I have been working on to cut a small cost in the long run.

 

Definitely buy new sand, you probably treated the Ich with a copper sulfate solution and that will kill off any inverts that you may want to have in the tank. I would also clean the hell out of the 55 that you are going to use, copper sulfate will embed itself into the silicone seals around the aquarium and wreak havoc, i got rid of it by doing a ton of big water changes, also buy a copper test kit to double check once you get new sand and clean the tank really well.

 

I cleaned the tank and bought new sand. I have a hitchhiker brittle star from the LR I bought at the LFS, but I am trading him for a ball of chaeto since the tank hasnt cycled and its likely that the cycle would kill the star. I will pick up a copper test today. I used coppersafe once and that is what I believe killed all of the neon tetras i had, so I did a full water changed and then treated the water with MG/Formalin cure that dyed my water blue for a few days. At any rate...I pitched that old sand and got new stuff.